Daily Babbler

Hydroponics, also called soil-less gardening or water gardening, is the growing of plants without need for fertile soil. To grow, plants need air, water, nutrients, minerals and light. Soil is completely optional for a plant to grow if the nutrients and minerals supplied by it can be provided to the plant by other means. Hydroponics involves usage of a nutrient rich water solution to provide the essential nutrients and minerals that plants usually get from soil and a support for the plants to stand upright, generally a substrate such as sand or rock wool.

Almost any plant can be grown using hydroponics. Hydroponics is common method of growing plants in research labs. Hydroponics can also be used to grow plants at home using hydroponics kits, though somewhat expensive. It is especially useful for people who have little space or soil to grow plants in.

Higher yields are possible through hydroponics because more plants can be grown in a limited space compared to soil. Weeds and pests are much less of a problem with hydroponics and various different types of plants can be grown together side by side. Hydroponics has a few disadvantages, these include high cost of equipment and the need for learning and training in the various techniques.